Meditation and Mysticism in T. S. Eliot’s “East Coker”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2236-9937.2021v25p222-248Keywords:
T. S. Eliot, East Coker, Meditative Poetry, Meditation, MysticismAbstract
This article consists of an interpretive analysis of “East Coker” as a meditative poem. The essential characteristics of this hybrid subgenre are described, and it is shown how —with what stylistic themes and resources— the poet concretely configures a transcendent search for the Divine in the poem. It is discovered that the search is carried out in the manner of an ascetic-spiritual meditation with defined characteristics that invite the reader to engage in the meditative movement. Thus, he/she is able to perform the same meditation performatively, which becomes a true spiritual exercise.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Biblia de Jerusalén. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer, 1998.
AL-DOURI, Hamdi Hameed. T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets and St. John of the Cross. Journal of Language Studies, vol. 2, n. 3, 2019: 1-20.
ELIOT, T. S. Cuatro cuartetos. Ed. bilingüe de Esteban Pujals. Madrid: Cátedra, 2006.
GONZÁLEZ-DEGETAU, Alejandro. La via negationis en san Juan de la Cruz y Rainer Maria Rilke. Hipogrifo, vol. 6, n. 2, 2018: 429-442.
GORDON, Lyndall. «What Might Have Been and What Has Been»: How T. S. Eliot Looked at Lives. The Hudson Review, vol. 6, n. 4, 2015: 573-581.
HOWARTH, Herbert. Eliot, Beethoven, and J. W. N. Sullivan. Comparative Literature, vol. 9, n. 4, 1957: 322-332.
JUAN DE LA CRUZ, san. Obras completas. Burgos: Monte Carmelo, 2003.
MATTHIESSEN, Francis Otto. Eliot’s Quartets. The Kenyon Review, vol. 5, n. 2, 1943: 161-178.
MCMAHON, Robert. Understanding the Medieval Meditative Ascent. Washington D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2006.
MURPHY, Russell Elliott. Critical Companion to T. S. Eliot: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.
MURRAY, Paul. T. S. Eliot and Mysticism. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan, 1991.
SCHMELZER, Felix. T. S. Eliot and the Tradition of Christian Mysticism: The Spatial Paradox in Burnt Norton. Teoliterária, vol. 7, n. 14, 2017: 55-69.
SHARP, Corona. ‘The Unheard Music’: T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets and John of the Cross. University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 51, n. 3, 1982: 264-278.
SPURR, Barry. Anglo-Catholicism and the «Religious Turn» in Eliot’s Poetry. Religion and Literature, vol. 44, n. 1, 2012: 136-143.
SWEENEY, James Johnson. East Coker: A Reading. En: BERGONZI, Bernard. T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets: A Casebook. Londres: The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1969.
WAGNER, Robert D. The Meaning of Eliot’s Rose-Garden. Modern Language Association, vol. 69, n. 1, 1954: 22-33.
ZAMBRANO CARBALLO, Pablo. Eliot entre Conrad y Dante: Un Comentario sobre el Tópico del ‘Cruce de Miradas. En: PÉREZ GUERRA, Javier; CANEDA CABRERA, M. Teresa. Proceedings of the XIXth International Conference of AEDEAN. Vigo: Universidade de Vigo, 1996b, p. 597-600.
ZAMBRANO CARBALLO, Pablo. Paz, Borges, Eliot: tres recreaciones del eterno retorno. En: GÓMEZ CARRASCO, Luis María. Las formas del mito en las literaturas hispánicas del siglo XX. Huelva: Universidad de Huelva, 1994, p. 181-202.
ZAMBRANO CARBALLO, Pablo. La mística de la noche oscura: San Juan de la Cruz y T. S. Eliot. Huelva: Universidad, 1996a.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Teoliteraria - Journal of Literatures and Theologies (On Line) ISSN 2236-9937
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
TeoLiteraria – Journal of Literatures and Theologies owns the copyright of all published material. The whole reproduction of the articles of this Journal in other publications or for any other purpose, by any means, requires a written permission of the editor of this journal. Partial reproductions of articles (abstracts, more than 500 words text, tables, figures and other illustrations) must have a permission written by the publisher and the authors.
